Cedar Waxwings are perhaps the most well groomed of all birds. There is never a feather out of place. They are the epitome of avian sartorial splendor. They are quite common here in the Garden State and found year-round. They are seven inches in length with a foot-long wingspan and weigh a bit more than a once. The plumage is mostly a warm brown, with gray wings and a yellow belly.

The bird’s most obvious field marks are at both ends, with its crested head and a yellow-tipped tail. Highly gregarious, Cedar Waxwings are usually found in flocks ranging from 30 to 100 for most of year except during breeding season when they pair-off leaving the flock, only to rejoin another one when nesting is completed. They occasionally can be found in flocks exceeding a thousand in winter, with Sandy Hook having had a flock of about two thousand wintering several years ago.

This lovely bird nests from southeast Alaska completely across southern Canada and the northern United States and is found as far south as the Gulf States. They winter from the Canadian border completely across the lower 48 states with some venturing as far south as Panama. The name waxwing comes from the red waxy substance they secrete onto their wing flight features and they are called Cedar Waxwings because of the great quantities of cedar berries they consume. Well over 80 percent of their diet is fruits with the rest of their diet consisting of insects and flower petals. This is another species whereby when a cowbird deposits an egg in their nest, the cowbird chick dies in a few days as a result of not receiving enough protein to survive with the waxwing’s diet.

Cedar Waxwing, NJ Audubon Collection

Although very common they often go unnoticed since they often perch high with their high pitched call is too high for many people to hear. Cedar Waxwings are one of America’s latest nesting birds usually commencing sometime between June and early September in a tree as high as 50 feet above ground. Most New Jersey birds nest from April to early July. The female builds the nest in five or six days making almost three thousand trips in the process. They are nomadic and eruptive the rest of the year and often seem to totally disappear from late winter to early to mid-May when then suddenly appear once again en masse.

They exhibit amazing and truly unforgettable courtship behavior. The male will land on a branch a few inches from the female with a berry or flower petal in his bill. He will take one step forward followed by the female taking one step forward whereby the male gives the berry to the female from bill to bill. She then takes a step back followed by the male doing the same and she now takes a step forward followed by the male and gives the berry back to him. This goes on until the berry or flower is dropped and if so, they will start again with a new berry or flower petal. This is something you will never forget if you chance witness this behavior.

Occasionally, a Cedar Waxwing will exhibit an orange-tip to the tail which is created by the bird feeding on a particular introduced honeysuckle that has red carotenoids instead of the usual yellow carotenoids the bird typically ingests. The red waxy substance secreted on the wings is believed to play a part in attracting a mate. Since the bird feeds almost primarily on fruit, it occasionally comes upon fermenting fruit which can create some distress for the birds. Most people don’t’ realize the important role Cedar Waxwings have played in the spread of Poison Ivy across America. The birds are quite fond of Poison Ivy berries and will ingest them and eventually deposit the seeds miles away. The population of this marvelous bird is believed to be about 50 million with the oldest living Cedar Waxwing over eight years old.

For more information about NJ Audubon, wildlife viewing opportunities, or how to perform conservation efforts on your property to help improve water quality, forests and habitat for all sorts of species, contact John Parke of NJ Audubon at john.parke@njaudubon.org or see njaudubon.org. For more information about buying NJ Audubon’s Jersey Grown S.A.V.E. black oil sunflower seed that help restore habitat in NJ, see njaudubon.org.